They were in the middle of training when they received a call for help. Lexington firefighters were called to Anderson County to help after a man backed his car into Taylorsville Lake. The men in the car were okay but couldn’t get the vehicle out on their own.

Posted: 6:22 PM Oct 22, 2011Reporter: Sean Evans

What began as one man’s misfortune…

“It filled up. No windows, all you could see was the top of the car. It was a weird sight to look out there and see headlights shining up out of the water,” said bystander Douglas Johns.

…Turned into a learning opportunity for Lexington Firefighters training to be rescue divers.

“When the call came in this morning, they asked, are these guys capable of doing this? Without hesitation I said yes,” said Dive 911 trainer Buck Buchanan.

A turkey hunter had backed his car up to a dock on Taylorsville Lake to lower his boat into the water.

Anderson County Fire and Rescue officials tell us the man hit the accelerator instead of the break when he reached the water’s edge, and in went his car.

“That’s something you never want to see happen to somebody. More than likely his car is ruined,” said Johns.

Knowing that the men in the car were fine, it turned into a recovery operation, one that the newly trained dive teams took seriously.

“They didn’t need coaching. They just simply needed the opportunity to perform, which they did admirably,” said Buchanan.

Now as their gear dries, Lexington Firemen who took on this real world test are ready to offer help when needed, throughout the region and state.

The dive instructors were brought in with money from a Homeland Security grant.

Emergency Response Diving International was responsible for all the training, which totaled 100 hours for 33 firefighters.